Alyssa grew up in small-town Ontario with a love of all things outdoors, including boating, fishing, swimming and camping. It was on high school trips to Ontario’s famed Algonquin Park that she fell in love with learning about and protecting the natural world. Her budding interest in sustainability, Indigenous ecological knowledge and environmental education took her to Guatemala to volunteer on a sustainable farm and then to Portugal to volunteer at an Iberian wolf rehabilitation centre. She then moved to Victoria to take classes in coastal geography and Indigenous studies at UVic. Alyssa is passionate about art and nature—look for her tattoos to see how she blends the two—and about getting people onto the water. “It’s so rewarding to educate people while giving them a life-changing experience!” she says.